Feb 21, 2008

[Our series on Dr. Martin Moore-Ede's testimony before Congress continues]

6. How should we proceed?

There is now an opportunity to make substantial gains in transportation safety, but the achievement of this will not be without its challenges. 175 years of railroading tradition, and a complex thicket of regulations and collective bargaining agreements can sometimes make progress forward difficult. However, I know all parties view fatigue reduction and rail safety as important, so there is support for the overall goal.

This Subcommittee can do much to stimulate and motivate this process. I would propose that the House Railroad Subcommittee encourage railroad companies, and the railroad labor unions, to make the development of a formal process for Risk-Informed Performance–Based Fatigue Management a priority. An overall strategy should be developed that is sensitive to all stakeholders that could form a framework for future reform of rail safety legislation. A timetable for reporting back progress to this subcommittee might be helpful in ensuring that addressing this key railroad safety issue is maintained as a priority.

In summary, I have today discussed how sleep deprivation and fatigue significantly impairs train crew alertness and vigilance in our railroads, and that this loss of vigilance poses a safety and security threat. Moreover, FRA safety statistics suggest that this risk has worsened since 1998. However, making the Hours of Service regulations more restrictive is clearly not the best answer to fixing the problem.

While train control and new alertness monitoring technologies hold promise as future complements to existing capabilities, they are not yet ready for deployment and are likely many dollars and years away from providing practical utility. Faced with today’s challenges, a Risk-Informed Performance-Based Fatigue Management approach is best positioned to provide immediate benefits in a timely and efficient manner. I appreciate the opportunity today to share my thoughts and suggestions with this Sub-Committee, and I would be delighted to answer any questions.

About the Blogger

The National Shiftwork Information Center is not an advocacy group. Our mission is to provide information about shiftwork, for managers, shiftworkers, and their family members to improve health, safety, performance, and quality of life. Ed Coburn is the Executive Director of the National Shiftwork Information Center. Previously he was Managing Director and Publisher of Circadian Information, which publishes information on alertness and performance for round-the-clock operations.

Add Shiftwork Information Updates to Your Site -- it's free!

Shiftwork-Related Products from Amazon.com

About the National Shiftwork Information Center

The National Shiftwork Information Center (NSIC) was founded in 2004 as an information clearinghouse. It is not an advocacy organization and has no corporate or labor ties or funding. The NSIC blog (ShiftworkInformation.blogspot.com) began in 2007 with NSIC Executive Director Ed Coburn as the Blogger-in-Chief.

No Endorsement: As a service to users of the website, NSIC provides links to other websites as well as Google Ads and links to Amazon products. NSIC does not endorse any products or services, or make any representations about the quality or usefulness of any products or services mentioned.